“God’s Goodness”
January 18, 2009
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” Psalm 84:11
If you know me at all, you know how important the Bible is to me. I didn’t get saved in a church service or an evangelistic service or even by someone witnessing to me. I was saved as I read the Bible and realized that God loved me and had a purpose for my life. I believe the Bible is the revealed will of God. In other words, if you want to know God’s will for your life –read the Bible. I am literally betting my life – and my eternal life – that it’s true. The bible is useful for many things. Paul writes:
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17
If you want to be thoroughly equipped – you must be a student of the Bible. But there is more. My Bible says that it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6). So how do get faith? By reading the bible.
“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
As you read the Bible and understand the message – faith grows. But there is more. Hope, the foundation for faith, comes from reading the Bible. The Scriptures says,
“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4
Hope is the expectation that God will do what He promises. If you have no knowledge of His promises – you have no hope. Life is very hard when things are hopeless. So when things seem hopeless – God to God’s Word and memorize the promises of God.
But there’s more. It is through the Bible that God reveals Himself to us. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit shows Himself to us through the pages of Scripture. So, this morning, I want to use our Scripture in Psalm 84 to show you what our God is like.
First of all, the Scripture says God is a “sun”. Last Monday, I had to go to Redding. When I left Weed, CA in the morning – the temperature was in the twenties. I had to scrape the ice off my windshield. I was cold and shivering. I cranked the heat up when I headed out. It felt good on cold morning.
When I got to Redding and finished my check up at the VA, it was about 10 o’clock in the morning. So I went to the Sundial Bridge and went for a walk. (If you have never been there – check it out online) The grass was green, the sky was blue, the temperature was about 70 degrees. The sun felt warm and comfortable on my back. It was a blessing, after our cold weather, to walk in the warm sunshine. John Denver sang, “Sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy!”
This verse reminds me that God is the source of all blessings. Imagine life without the sun. Nothing would grow. Nothing could live. We need the sun. The bible says,
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth…” James 1:17-18
Every good thing we experience comes from God. God is good. Think of the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, self-control, and all the rest. The fruit of the Spirit reveals what a good God we have. And God loves to bless His children. He wants you to experience the warmth of His sunshine.
Secondly, our Scriptures says God is a shield. I like this. God is our protector. He is our barrier against evil. Monday, while I was at the V. A. I picked up a novel to kill some time while I waited. It was a thriller about a detective trying to catch a serial killer. The killer enjoyed torturing and killing his victims. Their screams and pleas and cries of anguish brought him pleasure. The good guy won in the end, as good always will, ultimately, triumph over evil – but we need to be aware that there is evil out there. When I worked at the jail as a correctional officer, about 90 percent of the inmates where there because they did some stupid thing – usually associated with alcohol or drugs. Some were just lazy and complacent –usually because of alcohol or drugs – and didn’t pay their fines or show up for court dates. But about 10 percent of those in jail were evil. They would rob you, rape you, or kill you – just because they could. They liked doing it. They enjoyed inflicting pain on you.
God is a shield. We will never know how much He protects us until we get to heaven. We have an enemy who is the epitome of evil. And he has an army of demons who are without goodness or mercy. They delight in tormenting you and would destroy you if they could. But God is our shield. We can take comfort with that. We have nothing to fear. Like Job, we have a hedge of protection around us. Remember that little exchange in Job one? Listen to it again.
“Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."
"Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.” Job 1:8-10
Anyone who has any experience with the demonic knows what terror is. I would be very afraid to get out from the hedge of protection God has around me. But take comfort; don’t fear; God is a shield. He is a protector. We have nothing to fear when we walk with God. Paul said, “Who can be against us – if God is for us?” The answer is – nobody. We are safe and secure in the shelter of His hands.
The third point in our Scripture ought to give us comfort, too. It says, “GOD bestows favor and honor.” I think God has created in each one of us the instinct to strive for excellence. We crave honor and favor. We just do. I don’t know anyone who wants to come in last. I don’t know anyone who wants people to think poorly of them. No one wants to be thought of as a loser or a failure. No one wants to be thought of as ugly or weak or useless. We want to succeed. We want to win. We want people to think highly of us. We want favor and honor. God created us that way. And it’s okay.
But God’s ways are not our ways. God’s measure or test is not the same as our. Jesus said those we consider as being first – will be last. I wonder what that means? He said those we consider as being last – will be first. I wonder what that means?
Do you remember the parable of the talents in Matthew 25? Let me read a portion of it to refresh your memory.
"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ’Master,’ he said, ’you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
"His master replied, ’Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
"The man with the two talents also came. ’Master,’ he said, ’you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
"His master replied, ’Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Matthew 25:19-25
I want you to notice that the response to a good job was the same for both the 5 talent and the 2 talent guy. And I am sure if the one talent guy had made wise choices – he would have been just as honored and blessed as the one with the most talents.
Paul reiterates that fact in 1 Corinthians 12 when he says,
“Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don’t need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don’t need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” 1 Corinthians 12:14-26
God has a plan and each of us is a part of that plan. We are like a body – or in another place we are likened to a house. Not everyone can be the same. Not everyone receives the same honor. The important thing is to do the thing God has called us to do faithfully and to the best of our ability. We may not receive honor and glory or win the favor of people here. God may have us in a spot where someone else wins the favor. But “HE” bestows favor and honor” and He also DOESN’T bestow favor and honor. Can you do what He wants you to do – even if you don’t receive honor? If you win the praise of men down here, Jesus said you have received your reward. Would you be last here – so you can be ‘first’ in heaven? Are you willing to be faithful even then? The Lord bestows favor and honor – and you WILL receive it – sooner or later. That’s a promise.
The fourth and last thing in our Scripture is the promise that God will withhold no good thing from us, if we walk blamelessly before Him. Does that mean we have to be perfect? Does that mean we can’t make any mistakes? Does that mean if we sin – we have blown it? Listen to this Scripture and you decide.
“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6
Aren’t you glad that Jesus took our sins and transgressions and iniquities upon Himself? The punishment that He endured has brought us peace. We can be blameless before God. The Bible says,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
We CAN be pure. We can be blameless. If we confess our sins to Him, if we ask Him for forgiveness – we will receive it. We can be pure and holy through the blood that Jesus shed for us.
The good news is that God will withhold no good thing from those whose walk is blameless. So God is not going to withhold any good thing from you. His timing may be different. What He may consider good – we may not. What child thinks a spanking or vitamins or vegetables are good? But sometimes it is the best thing for a child. What person things trials and tribulation and temptation is good? But the Bible says they are – and we are to rejoice in them. So understand that our idea of good and God’s idea of good may be different. And realize that everything that God allows in your life – He will work it out for good.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…” Romans 8:28
But also understand that God is good and He has all kinds of good things He has created – and He wants you to have them all. No good thing will He withhold from you. He wants you to have them all. And some day we will – without reservation or limit. But even now, today, in this life – God wants to bless you. Do you believe that? If you do – thank Him. Live like it. Walk in faith with an attitude of gratitude. But the key that unlocks the door to His blessing is to walk blamelessly before Him. If there is sin in your life – confess it. Apologize to Jesus for it. If you have an attitude or an action that is contrary to what you know God wants for you – turn from it. Repent of it. Stop doing it. As you do that – God will be your sun. He will warm your world with blessing. He will be your shield. He will protect and shield you from harm. He will bestow favor and honor on you. No good thing will He withhold from you – if you walk blamelessly before Him.
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for loving me so much. Thank you for wanting to bless me. Thank you for your protection. Thank you for the honor and glory you have waiting for me. Thank you for all the good things you have given me and will give me in the future. I confess I need your forgiveness. Cleanse and purify me. Make me like Jesus in attitude and action.
In Jesus name,
